Side by Side
by thesecretoflife
Summary: Riley and Robyn are twins, but you'd never guess it based on their opposing personalities. Luckily, they've always shared everything equally, including their best friend Maya Hart. But if people change people, do feelings change too? (Requested by FateRogue)
1. Chapter 1

If Riley was a princess, Robyn was siren. Riley was content to brush her long, brunette hair while she waited for her prince to rescue her, probably perched in some tower full of ball gowns and glitter. Robyn lured sailors to crash on her shore with her silky voice and a flip of her loose caramel curls. She didn't have time to wait for someone else to save her. She had better things to do. If Riley was a superklutz, Robyn was tightrope walker. When Riley was loud, Robyn got quiet. If Riley said no, Robyn yelled yes. Always a balancing act between the two.

The two twins met in the middle when it came to people. Friends, family, both of them sharing the same deep, selfless love for the people they cared about the most. They were both always looking out for the best in people, even if Robyn kept her observations a little quieter than her sister. That's why, despite all their differences, they were always together. Side by side.

That's where the two found themselves that afternoon, lounging next to each other in their shared room's bay window. Riley was flipping through photos on her phone, a goofy grin spreading over her face as she compared each selfie the two had taken.

"I can't believe people get us confused sometimes," Riley said, flicking past a photo of her and Robyn waving peace signs at the camera. "I feel like we hardly look alike." Riley paused to zoom in on their faces, catching the glint of Robyn's blue eyes next to her brown ones.

"Well, we are fraternal. And you can't blame people for being a little thick. I mean, people hear the word 'twin' and immediately substitute it for 'clone'. It would be nice to switch places sometimes, though. I could use your math skills every now and again," Robyn noted, already tapping the like button on Riley's seconds-old Instagram post.

"And I'm sure the art department would love to see me paint something other than a purple cat," Riley giggled, looking up at Robyn's smirk. "But even if we were identical, we wouldn't do that. That would be cheating."

"Oh come on, Riles. You can't even have some imaginary fun? Tell me you wouldn't love to be me and see how the guys act when you're not around. If we were identical, you could walk straight up to any of our friends and get them to spill all their secrets without even trying." Robyn sat up, suddenly excited. "Like imagine if you did that to Lucas. It certainly would've helped your silly triangle situation go by quicker, right?"

"Maybe, but it wouldn't be honest. And I think us being honest with each other is what makes us such great friends in the first place," Riley beamed.

"You just know you're a terrible actress," Robyn said, leaning back on her elbow.

"That too," Riley admitted with a shrug. "But if we're talking secrets, whose would you want to know?" Riley asked. Riley had never been one for gossip, but she was always interested in mysteries. Since Robyn could be quiet, Riley always took every opportunity to get a glimpse of what was going on inside.

Robyn considered this for a moment, looking up at the now-ancient glow in the dark stars the girls had decorated their ceiling with when they were young. Not long after Maya had crawled through their window for the first time, the three of them had decided that New York's night sky just wasn't cutting it anymore. They'd been learning all about space: stars, comets, galaxies, and planets. Of course, that's when Riley found her Pluto. But Robyn had always been fond of Mars, the raging red planet, always wondering if life could be possible there.

" _Would you wanna go to Mars someday?" She remembered her young self asking, pointing up at the little red globe swaying in the air conditioning. "Ya know, like if you were a astronaut or somethin'?"_

" _I don't know," Riley said, squinting up towards the ceiling. "Isn't it pretty far away? What if I missed everybody?"_

" _I would," Maya said proudly, hands on her hips. "I'm not afraid of any adventure. And if I got lonely, I'd just send out a big flare that you two could see from the bay window."_

" _Maya on Mars," Robyn sang. "A real big adventure!"_

Robyn couldn't help but smile at the memory, even if the planets hadn't been up on the ceiling in a long time. "I'd pick Maya," she said finally. "no contest."

"Well, I'm flattered," a voice said from behind her. Over her shoulder, Robyn turned to see Maya climbing through the window. She slid over closer to Riley so that Maya could have a spot. Maya slid in next to her, a teasing grin on her face. "Talkin' about me?"

"No!" "Yes!" Robyn and Riley said in unison, then turned to glare/stare at the other.

"Very nice," Maya laughed, dropping the subject. "So, here's the deal. I saw you two were still free on this beautiful Friday evening, and I just so happen to have three tickets to see Mixed Moonlight. Tonight." Maya said, waving the tickets at the girls. "Cute caption, by the way. '#twinning', very original." Maya nodded in mock-seriousness.

"Mixed Moonlight? Are you kidding? I love them. Like, top ten local bands, no contest. Maya, how did you score these tickets?" Robyn asked, inspecting them like she could hardly believe they were real.

"I know a guy," Maya said, clearly amused.

"Well I'm down," Riley said.

"Great, starts at ten."

Without having to look, Robyn mouthed "It starts at ten?!" with a fake-horrified expression exactly like the real one on Riley's face.

"Yes, Peaches. So that means we're not asking permission from your parents, okay? Think you can handle that?"

"I can handle it!" Riley said, crossing her arms. As she sat that way, her face twisted in pain as if she was trying to hold her breath.

"Riles, if you can't handle it, you don't have to come," Robyn sighed, knowing her sister all too well.

"No, no, I can be just as cool and calm and collected as the two of you can. I've got this, guys. Stealthy Riley has arrived."

"Well, would stealthy Riley like to come to the living room for dinner?" Topanga asked, appearing in the doorway.

As Riley turned red, Maya quickly shoved the concert tickets back into her pocket. Thankfully, Topanga didn't seem to notice. "You're welcome to join us, as always, Maya. And Robyn, whatever it is that's upset your sister, please fix it. Like, now." Topanga said, turning to leave as Riley sucked in a huge breath. Riley stood up, turned to face Robyn and Maya, smiled bashfully, and then ran off toward the living room.

Maya turned to Robyn, waving the ticket in front of her. "You and me?" she asked, one pair of blue eyes meeting another.

Robyn grabbed the ticket, more excited than she could say. "Definitely."


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh. My. God." Robyn breathed, walking into the club where the crowd was already rocking the sounds of guitar riffs and bass beats. She brushed back a strand of her hair, her hands now decorated with giant black x's to let everyone know just how young and potentially out of place she was. Robyn and Maya had met out of front of Topanga's before the concert started, Riley agreeing to stay in so as not to make their parents suspicious. The girl was sweet, but she just couldn't lie.

"You act like you've never been here before," Maya laughed beside her, nudging her side. Robyn

Robyn laughed, working her way into the crowd. "That's because I haven't. You think my parents would let me come out to a place like this? Let alone at this hour. No way."

"Then we'd better make the most of it, huh?" Maya pulled a camera from her bag. It was a mini polaroid, just the right size to bring along on all her adventures. "Say 'sneeky'."

Robyn grinned, throwing her fingers up in a peace sign out of habit. She'd probably spent an hour picking out her outfit, not that she'd let Maya know that. Her black dress was loose and comfortable with an open back. She paired that with a trusty pair of black boots and a long, gold pendant she couldn't help but fiddle with. She'd even perfected her winged eyeliner for the occasion.

Maya grabbed the photo and tucked it into her pocket. "We've gotta wait for it to develop, but I'm positive that you look completely gorgeous. Now come on."

Robyn felt her stomach twist as Maya grabbed her hand and pulled her into the crowd. The rush of sneaking out, she thought. There were people all around them. Just as they made their way to the center, the lights went out and the crowd lost it. In a flash, neon lights were everywhere. Robyn watched as purple and pink flashed over Maya's hair like a technicolor dream.

The band took the stage. "We're Mixed Moonlight. And we're here to see you dance!"

The crowd erupted like a bout of thunder and Robyn felt Maya grip her hand again, pulling her back toward her as she jumped around to the beat. She threw her hands in the air, a huge smile spreading over her face. "This is amazing," she yelled. Robyn couldn't help but track the way her waves rose and fell around her face while she moved, the glint in her eyes while the spotlights dashed around them. It felt like magic.

"Found you guys," a voice called from behind them. Robyn turned, caught almost half-frozen in her dance moves as she locked eyes with a familiar face.

"Lucas," she breathed.

"Hey Robyn," he said cheerfully. "Sorry I'm late. I got a little caught up trying to get out."

"Your momma get suspicious?" Maya teased.

"No, she knows I'm here. I just had to convince her I didn't need a backpack full of safety supplies." Lucas said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks for the invite though, I love these guys."

"A whole family of Huckleberries. Amazing." Maya laughed.

Robyn shuffled her feet while the two talked/bickered. She was used to the way Maya could get distracted by the boy, but something about tonight felt different. After all, Robyn had thought this was their solo adventure, not the usual clique outing. With Lucas there, it just didn't feel as special. Besides, watching Lucas dance was like watching a train wreck: you just couldn't look away.

Robyn did her best to let her mind wipe blank while the band continued their set, practically ignoring Maya and Lucas along with all the rest of the crowd around her. She was used to shutting out the craziness in her quiet moments at home. This was just like that, without the extra burden of noise-cancelling headphones. That way, before she knew it, the band was announcing their last song.

"Alright, we don't know about you guys, but we'd like to slow it down a little about now, huh? If you've got someone special with you here tonight, don't be afraid to pull them close right about now. Or hell, find a cutie in the crowd real fast. Anyways, this one's for you guys."

Robyn rolled her eyes as she turned back to Lucas and Maya, the boy already extending his hand out to her with a ridiculous "m'am?", but before she could even think to tease the two, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey," the girl said. "I don't know you, but you're definitely a cutie, and Mixed Moonlight gives great advice. Wanna dance?"

Robyn felt her heart race a million miles a second. "Oh, uh, I-I'm not, uh" she squeaked.

"Hey, no worries if you don't want to, but it's just a dance." The girl smirked.

Robyn shook her head quickly. "No, yeah, you're right. I'd love to dance with you…"

"I'm Becca."

"Robyn." Despite herself, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks when Becca put her arms around her waist. Instead, she watched the glitter stars Becca had mixed in short, curly hair shine in the light.

"It's funny," Becca said, catching Robyn's attention again. "I noticed you when you came in, but I assumed that blondie was your girlfriend. Usually my intuition's pretty good about these kinds of things, you know?"

"Oh, Maya?" Robyn asked, looking back at her, arms with away from Lucas, the two mimicking an awkward middle school dance pose while they struggled to contain their laughter. "Nah, it's not like that."

"But you want it to be?" Becca asked. Robyn made a startled sound, but Becca laughed it off. "I'm just teasing you. Don't worry about it."

"Right," Robyn said sheepishly. "Just a joke, of course."

As the song came to a close, Becca pulled away from Robyn with a grin on her face. "Thanks for dancing with me, pretty girl." and in a moment, she vanished into the crowd again.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Lucas asked. From the way he phrased the question, Robyn could tell that he'd only seen them once the dance was over. He didn't know. Thankfully, Maya was still maneuvering the crowd behind him. She'd probably missed Becca entirely.

People were clearing out quickly. The lights had come back on and suddenly Robyn noticed just how ordinary everything looked in the light. Even the stage, which before had seemed so huge and amazing now looked practically abandoned.

"Oh, just a stranger," Robyn trailed off.

"Best set I've ever seen from these guys!" Maya leapt from behind Lucas to keep up with Robyn's pace. "Was that amazing or what?"

"Pretty cool," Robyn agreed with a shrug.

"That's it?" Maya asked. "Hey, are you tired or something? You seem out of it." Maya scanned Robyn, her excitement shifting easily into concern.

"No, yeah, just a little tired is all." Robyn pressed her lips into a thin smile.

"Well, I'll walk you guys home, then. We'll stop at your house first, Robyn." Lucas said, motioning for them to follow.

Maya and Robyn fell in line behind him. The further they walked from the venue, the quieter it seemed to become between the three of them. Of course Lucas wanted to walk to her house first, Robyn thought. That would give him plenty of time alone with Maya.

"Here we are, Casa de Matthews." He gestured, giving a little bow.

"Thanks," Robyn mumbled, climbing up the railing quickly.

"Goodnight," Maya whispered, waving up to her.

In one swift motion, Robyn slid in and shut the window behind her. It was quiet in the room, but after a few seconds, Riley sat up in her bed.

"How was it?" she asked

"Oh, did I wake you up?" Robyn asked, stripping off her boots and socks quickly.

"Nope, I was just too excited to sleep," Riley giggled, clutching her bear in her arms. "So come on, give me all the details."

"Well, Lucas showed up." Robyn traded her black dress for an oversized t-shirt, then fell on top of her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Lucas?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, I guess Maya gave him the extra ticket since you couldn't show."

"You sound upset." Riley pushed her covers away and walked across the room to sit at the edge of Robyn's bed.

"I was just annoyed she didn't tell me, I guess. I thought it was just going to be the two of us."

"But you like hanging out with Lucas, don't you?" Riley watched Robyn intently, but her twin refused to make eye-contact with her.

"Yeah, of course I do. This was just. Different, you know?"

"I don't."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, then."

Riley watched the way Robyn scanned the ceiling, eyes hovering over the constellations of fake stars. "You said earlier that out of all of us, you'd want to know Maya's secrets, right?"

"…yeah."

"why?"

Robyn was quiet for a while, letting out a small sigh. "It's just hard to know what she's thinking sometimes. She just runs off sometimes, you know? I want to know what she's thinking before she disappears for a while. Where she goes. Why she doesn't ever tell us about any of it."

"She's never gone for long," Riley replied. "She's never gotten into any trouble. Not that we know of, anyways."

"That's exactly my point, Riles." Robyn said, sitting up.

"I mean, what if something happened to her? I don't know what I would do if Maya got hurt."

"Because you care about her," Riley finished.

"Well yeah, of course I do. You do too."

"Sure I do," Riley nodded slowly. "But I don't get jealous when someone else hangs out with us. Especially someone who might flirt with her."

"What are you implying, Riley?" Robyn asked, turning away.

"I'm just saying," Riley said gently, taking her sister's hand in hers. "if there's something that's changed about the way you care about Maya, that that's okay. That you could tell me anything. I'm your sister, Robyn. I know you can go quiet, but if you need to talk to someone. Someone you can trust. I'm always right here."

"I'm tired, Riles." Robyn mumbled, pulling her sheets up to her face.

"Alright," Riley said gently. "Goodnight."

Robyn sat frozen like that for a while, breathing slowly and deeply, trying to tell her pounding heart to calm down. Nothing had changed, she told it. Nothing was going to change. She repeated it over and over like a mantra until her eyes grew tired and heavy. But even then, on the cusp of dreaming, she knew that she didn't believe it.


	3. Chapter 3

When Riley and Robyn walked into class that morning, Maya was already busy passing around her polaroid pictures.

"There's one of the band, and a couple of me just playing around with the lights. Oh, and one of Lucas and I."

Robyn slid into her seat coolly without looking at her. She tried to turn the noise off all around her. Drown out every sound. Riley watched her intently, frowning a little.

"Right, Robyn?" Maya asked, pulling her unwillingly back into reality.

"Hm?" she asked, feigning disinterest.

"The concert," Maya said flatly. "It was great, right? We were dancing, like, the whole time. My legs are still sore. Didn't you have any fun?"

"Robyn dancing? Now that's something I'd like to see," Zay said from the seat behind her, trying to lighten the mood.

"Me too," Farkle agreed. "But knowing her, it'd be the last thing I saw."

The boys chuckled, but Robyn didn't react.

"What's your problem?" Maya asked finally.

"I don't have a problem," Robyn mumbled.

"No? You're sure acting like it. If you didn't want to go, you could've just said so. I can take a hint, okay?"

"Whatever," Robyn sighed, glaring up at the ceiling.

"At least Lucas was there to act like a normal, fun human being." Maya tried.

"Hey…" Lucas replied, looking between Maya and Robyn with worry in his eyes.

"Now Lucas dancing is something I don't want to see," Zay said, shaking his head.

"At least I'd live through it," Farkle laughed, high-fiving Zay.

Their laughter faded away as Cory walked into the room, and Robyn was able to turn the volume down to zero during his lecture. All the while she could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she just sat as still as she could, willing their attention away. As soon as the bell rang, Riley grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall.

"What are you doing?" She asked, exasperated. "Just because you get jealous doesn't mean you can act like a jerk!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Maybe not! But I know what being a good friend looks like, and right now you're doing the opposite. You can't push Maya away just because you know she can take it. I've been there. Let her in, Robyn. Don't be afraid."

Robyn pushed past her with a click of her tongue, then fell back into her routine. Class after class. Bell after bell. Hiding in the library through lunch, then finally, thankfully, back home where she could sit in silence for a while. Riley stuck to her routine with homework at Topanga's, so Robyn had the room to herself for a while. She scrolled through her phone, scowling at Maya's Instagram post of her and Lucas at the concert, conveniently forgetting to mention her being there at all. She tossed the phone away, just staring at the ceiling.

There was a soft knock at the door before it creaked open.

"Go awa-" Robyn started, before an upside-down Auggie appeared before her eyes. She rolled over so that her head was no longer hanging off the bed. "Oh, Auggie," she said. "What's up, buddy?"

"Second grade is ridiculous. This math stuff is the worst. I don't want to be an adult," he said, crossing his arms. "Can I run away with you somewhere? Or at least borrow a treasure map or something? You know all the best spots."

Robyn smiled, a gesture that felt foreign to her after her long day, and pulled Auggie up on the bed with her. "Tell you what. You hang out right here with me, and I'll help you out with all that icky math homework, and then we can make ourselves some sundaes. Extra sprinkles."

"You're an excellent negotiator. Mommy would be proud," Auggie said, shaking her hand.

"I learn from the best," Robyn said with a smirk.

The two worked through the problems for a while until Auggie felt confident enough to try a few on his own. As he practiced, he spoke up again. "Where'd you go last night?"

"Nowhere. Bed."

"I saw you, silly."

"And how did you do that?" Robyn asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Your light shined into my window while you were crawling back to your room."

"Ah," Robyn said. "You caught me, huh?"

"Cops and robbers," Auggie agreed, nodding seriously. "So fess up, where'd ya go?"

"A concert. With Maya…and Lucas," Robyn added with distaste.

"Whoah!"

"Whoah is right."

"You think I'll be as cool as you when I'm big?" Auggie asked, looking up at her with his big, curious eyes.

"Oh, a million times cooler, for sure. And a math genius. You got them all right, Augs."

"I did?"

"You did!"

"Sundaes!" Auggie leapt off the bed and ran towards the kitchen, waving his arms like an animal. Robyn chuckled, picking up his papers before she got up to follow him. Before she could leave the room, Topanga slipped into the doorframe.

"A concert? Whoah," she said, a smirk on her face.

"Grounded?" Robyn asked, feeling the smile slowly melt off her face.

"Don't tell your father, and it's a no. I like how sweet you were to your brother. I like to see you come out of your shell. If you can keep that up with all of us, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Sundaes?" Robyn asked with her best puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh, yes, definitely sundaes." Topanga said, following behind her to the kitchen.

Robyn slipped her phone out of her pocket, quickly texting a single _sorry_ to Maya, mentally cursing herself for getting so touchy.

/

At Topanga's, Riley felt like she was accidentally taking sides in a new war zone. Maya was quiet, but clearly fuming, posting her photos across her social media to shove her fun in Robyn's face. Lucas watched her, alternating between concerned stares and grimaces as his phone popped up with a new notification every few minutes.

"50 likes," Maya proclaimed in the silence. Then, a little later, "100 likes." Each new milestone was like a fresh victory for her.

"Anybody got the answer for #10? I'm not getting any of the numbers in the options," Lucas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's 58. Here, lemme show you," Farkle said, walking over to help.

Riley looked across the room to Zay, who'd also been uncharacteristically quiet. She knew by looking at him that he could detect the growing feud between Maya and Robyn. The only difference between him and Riley, though, was that he didn't know why there was a feud to begin with. And everyone knew it wasn't like Riley to be any good at keeping secrets. Suddenly, Zay's eyes locked with hers.

"You wanna take a breather, Riley?" he asked, nodding towards the door.

"Some fresh air would be nice, yeah," she tried her best to make her smile seem believable, but inside she felt her panic hit a new high.

"Wait, can I come?" Lucas asked, standing up quickly.

"150 likes," Maya chimed in.

"I haven't finished the problem, though," Farkle said. "I can't just give you the answer."

"Right," Lucas said, slowly sinking back down into his seat. "Nevermind, then."

Riley breathed a sigh of relief that poor Lucas was trapped inside with crazy Maya. It was hard enough keeping herself from bursting with Zay onto her, but there was no way she'd be able to keep anything from the cowboy if she was around him long enough.

Once they were out the door, Zay stretched his arms, then nodded back inside in Maya's direction. "So what's up with that?" he asked. "You know, don't you?"

"I do, but I really, really can't tell you."

"Oh really?" Zay smirked. "And how long do you think that's going to last?"

"Not long if you pressure me." Riley whined. "Please don't make me tell."

"I'm not gonna force you. But is there any way I can help? Talk to Lucas maybe? Crack a joke? I'm lost here."

"I think this one is just going to have to work itself out," Riley admitted. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to do either."

"Well, at least we're both in the dark then."

"If I can, I'll tell you as soon as I have permission."

"Fair enough. Back to the madness?"

"Let's do this."

As the two walked back in, Maya stood and pumped her fist in the air. "200 likes! Oh, and what?" She sat back down. The others turned away, already tired of her antics, but Riley kept her eyes on her, watching as she mouthed her sister's name. Robyn. Riley smiled a little. Whatever had gotten through to her, she was just glad she'd come back to reality.

/

Maya stared at the single-word text from Robyn, feeling her anger melt suddenly into regret. She should've realized sooner, she thought. Something was up. And now she definitely had to see what it was.

"I'll be back in a bit," she said, heading out the door. "Don't wait up for me."


	4. Chapter 4

Being alone at the bay window always felt a little off. It was a place made for two, even in the darkest moments. But of course with Riley still gone and Maya still mad, Robyn was as alone as she'd ever be. She shifted so that her feet pressed up against the window and her hair fell in a wave over the seat. Staring blankly at the ceiling, she could make out the outline of the stick-on stars. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and put a playlist on shuffle, then sighed. Classic rock always made her think of Maya. Not that she hadn't been already, but still. David Bowie didn't have to rub it in.

"That's where I want to be," she mumbled, thinking of Mars. She traced the outline with her finger. "or just somewhere where this wouldn't be such a big deal."

As the song hit the chorus again, she felt herself welling up. All day she'd been a dam ready to explode, and now here she was, a ridiculous flood. She sat up to rub at her face with her sleeves, not even knowing what exactly had affected her so much. She stood up, figuring that if she left the bay window then its magic powers might cool it for a moment. She pulled a seat up at her vanity, checking to make sure her eyes weren't too red.

She pulled a stray curl out of the way, thinking of her mother. Was this what it felt like to be a Topanga? Knowing that you're somehow different from the rest? But it seemed so easy for her, so natural, so wonderful. She dabbed away her mascara, then thought better and grabbed a makeup wipe to be done with the mess. Afterwards, she looked back at her puffy, blue eyes.

"Is this who I am inside?" She whispered.

Just then, there was a knock at the window. Robyn scrambled, pulling her sleeves up to hide any tear-stains and quickly silencing her phone. "It's Maya," she called, opening the window just a crack. "can we talk?"

"You know I'd love to but I'm extremely busy right now, could you maybe come back later?" Robyn huffed, facing away from the window, certain that if Maya saw her she'd know she'd been crying.

"Look, Robyn, I know I made a mistake and I don't want to make a big show out of apologizing if you're not ready to talk right now, but can't you at least look me in the eye? I don't know what's going on between us, but I'm trying. Doesn't that mean something to you?" By now Maya had climbed into the room. She took an uncertain step closer to Robyn's side of the room.

Robyn was now sitting at the edge of her bed, still facing the wall. "Of course it means something to me. I could never shut you out forever, Maya. I couldn't even shut you out for a day. Besides, you just break into my room whenever you want. You make it hard to avoid you."

"And you know I wouldn't want it any other way." Robyn felt Maya sit down next to her. "So please, can we talk? You know, like normal-ish people do?" even without looking, she could picture her smile perfectly in her head. She knew the exact tilt of her mouth, the slight smirk, the gentle look in her eyes.

"Okay," Robyn said softly, turning to face her. "We can talk."

"Whoah," Maya breathed. "Can we talk about why you've been crying?" she took Robyn's hand in her own. Her smile had shifted instantly to concern.

Robyn's eyes darted from Maya's hand to her eyes, then settled on the comforter. "I'm sorry I was a jerk to you about the concert," she blurted quickly. "I shouldn't treat you that way. I had fun, and I was so glad to go with you."

"You're forgiven. I'm sorry for hounding you about it and getting too caught up in policing your responses. I think I just got defensive because I didn't know what I did to upset you."

"You didn't. You couldn't."

"So what happened? What's all this about?"

Just when she'd thought that everything inside of her had burst, Robyn felt a second wave of emotion ready to crash onto the shore. "I don't know," she said, slipping her hand out of Maya's.

"You don't know or you don't want to say?" It was always like Maya to see right through her.

"Honestly? A little of both?" Robyn replied, finally meeting her eyes. "I could try to explain it now, but something is telling me that I should think about this, that I need more time to be able to tell you what's going on. I'll just say this…you know how sometimes you can look in a mirror and feel completely different from who you see looking back at you? I've been feeling like that a lot lately. And I let it get the best of me at the concert."

"but you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"And there's nothing I can do to change your mind right now?"

Robyn hesitated, her mind racing through one thousand impossible scenarios. "No, not right now."

"Then I'll say I'm sorry, and I care about you, and I hope you'll come talk to me once you figure this out." She smiled again, and for a brief moment Robyn thought that all of her secrets would slip out right then, but Maya stood up, and the moment faded away.

"I did bring this to show you, though. Might cheer you up a bit." She pulled a polaroid out of her pocket and handed it to Robyn. "What'd I tell you? Completely gorgeous."

In the photo, Robyn's curls were a purpled-tinted arch as she was caught mid-dance, her arms spread, her smile wide and reckless. "But this isn't the photo you took of me when we got there?" Robyn asked, suddenly conscious of her shallow breathing.

"If I only took pictures of you when you were posing then I would miss out on a lot of beautiful moments. I'd let you keep it, but I wanted to ask if I could paint this one. It's my favorite by a mile."

"paint it?" Robyn asked, her heart racing at the word beautiful. "Of course you can. Maya, I'd be honored."

"I'm glad to hear it, birdy." Maya smirked.

"Ooph," Robyn laughed. "Taking us all the way back to elementary school? Birdy again?"

"What can I say," Maya shrugged. "it slips out. Especially when I think about how you ought to be protected."

"I'm gonna be fine Maya."

"I know you will. See you soon," she said, slipping back out the window.

Robyn waited until she knew she was gone, then whispered, "see you on Mars, stargirl."


End file.
